Time After Time
by thesituation016
Summary: Era was a loyal protector of Time, but all good things come to an end and the Red Queen has designs on Time that do not involve his meddlesome guard. Cast out by the very being she swore to protect and had come to love Era must find a way to save Time itself. The young lady Alice seems to be the answer to regaining all that she once had and maybe more.


"What do you mean?" Era looked up at Time, her silver roman numeral clock eyes wide and her long curly dark blue hair with bangs in a halfway up full volume style leaving most of her hair to fall down to her waist.

"My love suggested that my home is too small for two women and that she wants to be the only one in my life." Time replied with a dreamy look as Era placed her hands over the middle of her chest below her neck over an ornate heart with a key hole in the middle made of silver accented in sapphire, diamond, and onyx jewels, it was what wound her up and kept her going. Her inner workings were all clockwork made from silver with sapphire and diamond jewel bearings.

Her makeup was silver eye shadow that faded slowly as it reached around her head toward her hair line, black feline style eyeliner, a crystal chip in the corner of each of her eyes, three crystal chips under each of her eyes along the edge of her eye up to the corner of her eye, three other diamond chips under the end of either eyebrow, and frosty pink lipstick with a silver sheen.

She wore a high necked black half jacket that tied at her neck with a dark blue bow that had a silver clock broach with onyx roman numeral and a sapphire watch face, the jacket had a silver swirling design down the short lapels, ruffled sleeves that reached up to her elbows edged in a dark blue design along the lace ruffles, a pair of fingerless gloves, a sweetheart top black corset that left her collar bone area bare showing her heart lock, and the jacket had silver roman numeral design with dark blue accents.

She also had an inverted ruffled black skirt that reached her knees in front and her ankles in back, a dark blue sash that wrapped around her waist tying in back with a bow and the tails reaching down to her knees, a pair of black sheer stocking with a time inspired roman numeral design, a pair of black ballet slippers with the ribbon crisscrossed up to her knees and tied with a bow on the outer side of her legs, a silver hair piece made of clock arms stuck in her hair toward the back of her head, chrome silver nails, black silhouette clock earrings, and sheathed in black on her waist was a silver clockwork sword with an ornate silver clock placed where the hilt met the blade with onyx roman numbers and a sapphire watch face.

"But I have served you faithfully for so many years, I have kept the palace safe from any who might bring harm, risked my life countless times in your service, and yet after all of that you toss me aside?" Era questioned brokenly.

"You have been a faithful servant that is true, but my love insists and there is also the issue of you accusations against her." Time pointed out.

"She's the Red Queen, she nearly destroyed all of Underland and every time she comes here she asks for the Chrono-sphere, she is up to no good. She has no one's interests at heart but her own; she is trying to use you!" Era snapped. All went silent as Time slowly stood up from his throne towering over her smaller frame.

"You will not speak of my love in such a way, you are banished!" Time roared causing Era to flinch back, her eyes wide.

"Fine!" Era said softly as she straightened up determined not to let him see how hurt she really was. She held out her hand, her chrome silver nails glinting in the light. "Then give me my key and I will leave."

"Of course." Time glowered as he reached up taking a silver key from around his neck that matched the lock on her chest. He yanked it snapping the chain then threw it to her, her hand snapping up to catch it. She forced the memories of when she gave it to him as a sign of her loyalty and trust back down to the recesses of her mind. She turned on her heel walking briskly out of the throne room pausing at the door.

"If you start to miss me remember, I didn't walk away, you made me go." Era said with a dark look before exiting.

She went to her room gathering her most precious belongings pausing when she picked up a blue rose bud and turned the silver key on the side. It played a song that she had heard through one of the Windows of Time in the time hall called Time After Time, she had liked it so much that Time had made this music box for her. As it played the bud bloomed revealing a silver and blue butterfly that fluttered its wings flying up from the bud then as the song stopped it flew back landing in the middle of the rose just in time for it to close up again.

"What a disgusting piece of trash." The obnoxious voice of the Red Queen caused her head to snap up and her free hand to twitch toward her sword. "Oh and look, there's a music box."

Era sneered with a soft growl as she shoved the music box into her black satchel that despite the numerous objects in it never got bigger or heavier. She grabbed her flowing black cloak that was covered in dark blue swirls with silver accents and made for the door, but the Red Queen stood in her way, her vegetable maid standing to the side behind her.

"Move." Era snarled.

"How dare you order me?! I am the Queen." Red snapped.

"Queen of what? You have no lands, no people, you have nothing." Era ground out.

"I have Time." Red Queen smirked and with a burst of anger Era grabbed her sword pulling it from its sheath and pointing it at Red Queen who looked startled, but quickly recovered. "Would you really? Time loves me, what would happen should you kill me?"

"Your day will come, you will never win." Era snarled before sheathing her sword and shoving past the Red Queen. "Down with the bloody big head."

"You little…GET HER, OFF WITH HER HEAD!" Red Queen roared in anger as she pointed to the now running Era.

"Alice will come, she will return to defend Underland!" Era called out with a sharp laugh easily escaping the vegetable guards and running out of Time's castle.

She pulled a black clockwork orb from her pocket throwing it to the ground where it took on the form of a winged clockwork black horse with a blue inner light and silver roman numerals engraved all over his body. She jumped on its back and flew off glancing forlornly over her shoulder back to her home and the home of the man she had loved. Time watched her fly away on the back of Eon from one of the high windows his hand going to the clock over his clockwork heart feeling a strange painful twinge as he watched her disappear from sight in a flash of blue white light.

"TICK TOCK!" The Red Queen bellowed breaking Time out of his thoughts. He quickly straightened his clothes pushing the strange feeling aside before exiting his rooms and going down to the parlor to meet with his beloved.

-0-


End file.
